Returning the Favor
by Tarafina
Summary: When he sees her again he’s the hero.


**Title**: Returning the Favor  
**Category**: Smallville/The Listener  
**Genre**: Drama/Humor  
**Ship**: Chloe Sullivan/Toby Logan  
**Rating**: PG  
**Prompt**: #02 – Cry  
**Word Count**: 795  
**Summary**: When he sees her again _he_'s the hero.

**_Returning the Favor_**

When he sees her again _he_'s the hero.

He's walking down the street, a half-eaten hotdog in his hand from his favorite vendor. Oz is complaining about something; he's only half-listening. He's been distracted lately and not for the usual reasons. Oz has grown used to Toby ignoring him because somebody out there needs help, is crying out for it and he's the only one that receives those calls. Being telepathic has its up- and downsides. But lately, he's been thinking more about the woman that saved him; who equipped him with a tranq gun so he wouldn't have to hurt others but still keep himself safe.

And he's been wondering why he couldn't read her.

Brow furrowed in concentration, he's thinking hard about all the reasons why when he's suddenly the wall a person running down the street hits. Not having seen them, he flies backwards, landing hard on his back, his hotdog flying elsewhere. And lying on top of him was a familiar face. Her wide green eyes were staring down at him and her mouth was parted as she gasped harshly for air. For a second, he forgot about the fact that he was lying on a dirty street and instead grinned. Maybe he couldn't read her mind, but he could read her face. Surprise, yes, but the pleasant kind. But the moment was gone as quick as it came.

Turning quickly, she looks behind her before struggling to get up off him and start running.

"Whoa! Whoa! Wait!"

"No time," she gasps, pushing up to her knees. "Get outta the way, before you get hurt."

She doesn't say it like a threat, more like a warning. But he's been through enough to know that getting out of the way means leaving the situation alone. And Toby Logan has a bad habit of never doing that. And while she looks like the kind of person who could handle this, he doesn't often let people run off and deal with situations out of the norm all on their lonesome. He was used to the people who took on more than they could chew and were crying out for a hero. This one wasn't like that, but that didn't mean the hero in him didn't stand up and do what he did best.

So when the guy who's been chasing her gets closer, he takes out the tranq gun she gave him; he hasn't let it out of his sight since. And he lays the guy flat out on the pavement, his own eyes wide with surprise at himself.

Panting next to him, she stares at him and then down to the man. "Well… Looks like you've been acing target practice."

He chuckles. "Actually, that's the first time I've fired this."

When he looks at her, she's somewhere between amused and irritated. He wishes, not for the first time, that he could read her thoughts.

"Well… Nice aim then."

That's when Oz starts sputtering. "What the _hell_, man! Where'd you even get one of those? No way Sarg issued those and I didn't hear about it!"

Toby rolls his eyes. "I'll explain… Later."

The mysterious Chloe was shaking her head. "Look… I appreciate the save, but I can't stick around. Meet and greets with cops never turn out well for me."

He definitely knows that feeling.

"Well, hey… Uh, why don't you…" He dug around in his pockets until he found his card. "Just, call me sometime, all right?" He stares at her searchingly, hopeful. "I really think we need to talk."

"How about this?" she replied, taking his card. "If this gets to be on-going, we'll have that pow-wow… If not, we keep our own secrets and remember this double-shot of heroics fondly."

With a wink, she waves, and then she was off. He watches after her; smiles when she looks over her shoulder at him.

She's beautiful, he thinks. And he _really _hopes she calls.

_Where does he _meet _these women? It's like his powers make him some kinda magnet!_

Oz's thought infiltrate his head and Toby snorts.

"You heard that, didn't you?" his friend mutters, frowning. "Man, can't you put me on the blacklist or something? Sometimes, the Oz-Man's thoughts are private, okay?"

He rolls his eyes. "Yeah… Like what you were thinking about Teresa from dispatch a few hours ago?"

Oz threw his hands up in the air. "You _saw _that? I mean, _heard_ or… whatever!"

For now, Toby leaves Chloe and her weird happenings on the back burner. He has a feeling he'll be seeing her again soon anyway. And if not… Well, he had an unconscious man that obviously has some kind of beef with her… and wasn't that just the way most of his days started anyway?


End file.
